The jet stream is a complex phenomenon involving the interplay between many variables. This resource provides a variety of materials, including Giving Rise to the Jet Stream, which is a simplified introduction that shows what generates the jet stream and why it flows from west to east. The site also contains a five-day view of the jet stream, which is a realistic depiction of how the jet stream flows; ... Full description.

Although few weather phenomena have the ability to affect weather on a global scale, the jet streams are one such phenomenon. These bands of high-speed wind roar through the atmosphere 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 10 miles) above Earth's surface. This animated image from NOVA Online illustrates a jet stream's wild undulations over North America during a five-day period in January 2001. Full description.

The high-speed winds of jet streams, found near the top of the troposphere, play a major role in guiding weather systems. Many factors, including Earth's rotation and the Sun's uneven heating of Earth's surface, contribute to the formation of the powerful eastward flows of the jet streams. This interactive slide show from NOVA Online provides an overview of the factors that create these powerful meteorological ... Full description.

In this lesson, students learn about jet streams and explore the effects the polar-front jet stream has on weather conditions in North America. They begin by doing an interactive activity that highlights the atmospheric conditions and phenomena that create jet streams. They then look at a model that illustrates the relationships between latitude and variations in air temperature, wind speed, and altitude ... Full description.

Dramatic temperature shifts, in which warm, autumn days turn unbearably cold in what seems like minutes, are almost always ushered in by powerful winds. These temperature differences (or temperature gradients) between air masses are what actually causes the wind. This set of interactive graphs, adapted from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, allows users to control the temperature gradient between ... Full description.

This reference provides information about the composition, structure, and dynamics of our atmosphere. It offers links to detailed descriptions of the magnetosphere, exosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere, mesosphere, ozone layer, stratosphere and troposphere. Other topics include the dynamics of the atmosphere; temperature, pressure, winds, the jet stream, and the Coriolis effect. Meteors and auroras ... Full description.

The climatic phenomenon known as El Nino can impact weather and climate around the globe. Occuring every four to twelve years, the phenomenon can cause die-offs of plankton and fish, and affect Pacific jet stream winds, altering storm tracks and creating unusual weather patterns around the world. This video segment uses satellite imagery to show how an El Nino occurs and details some the effects on ... Full description.

This poster shows how oceanic circulation helps to control global climate. In general, warm surface currents flow from the tropics to higher latitudes, driven mainly by winds and the Earth's rotation. Fast, warm surface currents like the Gulf Stream are concentrated at the western boundary of ocean basins. The poster is part of a collection of images associated with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's ... Full description.

During a typical year, levees built along the banks of the Mississippi River keep the river in its channel and out of people's homes and fields. However, in 1993, an unsually persistent configuration of the polar jet stream and tropical high pressure produced thunderstorms and heavy rains that lasted for months. This video segment adapted from a NOVA television broadcast describes the meteorological ... Full description.

This resource explores winter weather and frozen precipitation. The page on precipitation points out that snow and rain are both water and explains how the different forms of frozen precipitation (snow, sleet, freezing rain) occur. There is a page on cirrus clouds that explains their characterstics and how they may affect climate by reflecting solar radiation or reducing outgoing infrared energy from ... Full description.